


In Another Life

by aewgliriel



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Human K-2SO, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 12:19:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13123587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aewgliriel/pseuds/aewgliriel
Summary: How things might have gone in a kinder (modern) universe. Cassian is CIA-turned-detective, Jyn is a PI/self-defence coach. Interconnected, random vignettes in no particular order.





	1. Aliens

**Author's Note:**

> This started with a random, stupid conversation my brother and I had, and went from there. Sorry about the jumping timeline, I write these as they come to me.

“All I'm saying is, if this arsehole doesn't back off, I'm going to break his headlights at the next stop.” Jyn Erso squinted at the rearview mirror. She was too short to avoid the side mirrors, and the driver behind her had his fog lights on, riding the bumper of her seen-better-days Chevy Aveo.

In the passenger seat, her long-suffering significant other, Cassian Andor, sighed and shook his head. “If you do, make sure I'm not around so that I have plausible deniability.”

“Oh, thanks for the support,” she groused, but fondly.

“I believe Cassian means that as law enforcement-”

Jyn cut Kay off before he could finish, from his position in the seat directly behind her. It was the only place in the car that the incredibly tall man could fit, since Jyn had her seat forward far enough that she could reach the pedals. “Yes, Kay, I get it.”

“Besides,” the Englishman continued, “you'll likely need to excuse the driver for having his car’s brights on. They probably make up for him not.”

The fourth occupant of the car spoke up. “Him … not bright?” Bodhi Rook asked hesitantly, as if not sure he'd understood Kay's quip.

“Yes, so eloquently put,” Kay drawled. “Him not bright.”

“Kay,” Cassian said.

His partner--and best friend--lapsed into silence. Fortunately, Bodhi was never really offended by Kay. By now, everyone just overlooked Kay's sarcasm.

“So, anyway,” Bodhi said, returning to the subject interrupted by Jyn’s complaints about the tailgater, “for all we know, UFOs are just unidentified alien craft-”

“That would be the definition of ‘unidentified flying object’,” Kay put in.

“I don't mean alien like space aliens,” Bodhi said affably, as if _Kay_  hadn't interrupted. “But alien like- like foreign and unknown.”

“Foreign like Mexico,” Kay said.

Cassian shifted in his seat to look at Kay. “Spaceships from Mexico,” he repeated.

Jyn snorted a laugh. “Now there's a bad B-movie for you. Little green men land in Mexico instead of Central Park and interrupt a cartel.”

Her fiancé huffed in amusement. “They would shoot them.”

“And then the cartel would have a spaceship,” Kay added. “They would definitely try to use it to run drugs.”

“But what if they accidentally flew back to the aliens’ planet,” Bodhi mused, “and it turns out that cocaine is a desperately needed medicine there?”

Cassian rolled his eyes. “The Mexican mafia saves the universe?”

Jyn snickered. “Like I said, bad B-movie. Or something like that horrible Spanish-language Will Ferrell movie we tried to watch last month on Netflix.”

Abruptly, she slammed on her brakes and the car that had been following them nearly rear ended them. She threw the car into park and got out.

Cassian pinched the bridge of his nose, before shoving open his own door. Pausing in exiting, he asked, “Bodhi, what time is the movie again?”

Bodhi checked his watch. “Twenty minutes. But we have reserved seats and there’s like twenty minutes of previews.”

“Good.” With that, he went to stop Jyn from murdering the other driver.


	2. Twenty Questions

The last person anyone should have been trusted with the care and feeding of an eight year old girl was Sawlat “Saw” Gerrera. Still, that’s exactly what happened when Lyra Erso died and her husband Galen vanished, leaving their daughter, Jyn, in the hands of a militia leader and doomsday prepper who lived on a compound in northern Montana with his group of militants, the Partisans.

It could have turned out worse than it did, though Saw had prepared Jyn for an impending FBI raid by dropping her off in the middle of nowhere with a hunting rifle, a backpack of supplies, and a buck knife and told her, as he had several times before, that she had three days to get to town.

She made it in two, proud to march into the diner where he always met her, only to find that everyone had up and left, and she was alone. The compound had been abandoned. She was all of sixteen.

Six years later, Jyn found herself sitting across the table from two CIA goons, a two inch thick folder in front of them. The older one, late forties or early fifties, had greying, red brown hair, icy eyes, and a perpetual frown. The other one was a bit older than her, dark hair and eyes, face impassive, though premature crows’ feet around his eyes indicated he’d spent a lot of time squinting.

She glanced at his hands, noticing calluses in key places. Sniper, she figured, but didn’t say anything. Best not to give away anything. Saw had drilled that into her. Furious as she still was with him, it was good advice.

“Jynnifer Eadoin Vesper Erso,” the older man, who had introduced himself as only “Agent Draven”, read off a sheet in his hands. He stumbled over “Eadoin” but Jyn didn’t correct him. “Born on the third of July, 1995, in Cambridge, England, to Galen Walton Erso of Copenhagen, Denmark and Lyra Saoirse Donnelly of Belfast, Northern Ireland.” He got Saoirse wrong, too.

She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. “What is this?”

Draven flipped open the folder and pulled out a photograph, sliding it across the table to her. On it was a familiar face: Saw. Older, hair getting wild instead of shaved off. He’d also apparently lost a leg and had a prosthetic as well as a walking stick. It seemed to have been taken in a jungle.

“You’re Saw Gerrera’s foster daughter,” Draven said. “He abandoned you at sixteen, was it? Left you to fend for yourself in the Partisans’ compound while he fled to Central America.”

“Oh, is that where he’s been?” She feigned disinterest. “Must be better for his lungs than Montana.”

The younger man snorted softly. “He has set up in a camp in Guatemala, somewhere in Reserva de Biosfera Maya, near the border of Mexico.”

His accent said Mexico, though she couldn’t tell where. “Uh-huh. What’s that got to do with me?”

Draven exchanged a look with his… partner? Subordinate? “Proceed, Andor.”

“He’s holding a hostage,” Andor continued. “A British national named Bodhi Rook. Rook is a cargo pilot, usually employed by the Empire.”

Jyn recognised the name. The Empire was a multinational crime syndicate that made the current US president look like an amateur. “Again, what’s it got to do with me? I haven’t seen Saw since he ditched me in the middle of a snow storm six years ago.”

Andor leaned forward, dark eyes focused on her. “Saw sent us a message. He says that he will release the pilot if he gets to talk to you. He says the pilot was hired by your father.”

And that was how Jyn met Davits Draven and Cassian Andor, bane of her existence and love of her life.


	3. The “In Bed” Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is entirely SleepyKalena’s fault.

Cassian pushed the aerial photo map of the reserve in Guatemala across the table. He’d marked in red where he thought it was most likely that Gerrera had set up.

“What do you think?” he asked Jyn.

She glanced briefly at it. “Are there existing structures there?” she asked.

“... I don’t think so.”

“Then probably not. Saw is resourceful, but he’s also… I was going to say he’s not crazy, but he is. But he’s not _stupid_.” She snapped her fortune cookie in half and opened it, pulling the strip of paper out before shoving one half of the cookie in her mouth. She crunched on it for a moment before continuing. “He’s not going to use tents and shit. Tents aren’t good for defence or protection from the elements. I mean, they’ll do in a pinch, short trips, but long term? He’ll have taken over abandoned buildings or old ruins or something like that.”

Cassian pulled the map back. Frowning, he reached over with a hand to his laptop and typed with a pecking finger, searching known locations of existing structures.

Across the table, Jyn snickered. Then a tiny wad of paper hit Cassian on the nose. He jerked in surprise and looked to see that Jyn had tossed her fortune at him.

Arching one brow, he unfolded it. “‘The best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him a friend’,” he read aloud.

She grinned and waggled her eyebrows.

“What?”

“... They don’t play that in Mexico, I’m guessing,” she said.

“Play what?”

“The ‘in bed’ game. It’s dumb, really. You just add ‘in bed’ to the end of the fortune to make stupid innuendos.”

Cassian looked back down at the fortune. He felt his cheeks get hot. “Mature,” he said.

She snickered.

Trying to ignore her, he compared the laptop screen’s contents with the map on the table. Picking up a blue pen, he drew little Xs to mark old buildings or known Mayan ruins, anything that Gerrera might use.

Snap.

Crunch.

Another piece of paper bounced off his forehead.

He gritted his teeth. She really was the most annoying-

Cassian resisted for about ten seconds before he unfolded the paper. “‘The social scene can be fun today’,” he read. Belatedly, he added, “In bed.”

Jyn chortled.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you trying to flirt with me, Erso?" he asked after a long silence.

She picked up another cookie. "I dunno. Is it working?"

Cassian snatched up one of the cookies and snapped it open. He read the fortune, and a grin spread across his sharp features. Folding it up, he tossed it her way.

Jyn opened it, and her cheeks went pink. "Good one," she said, and cleared her throat.

"Out loud, Erso."

"... ‘Your present plans are going to succeed’.” She swallowed. "In bed."

She fished through the pile of fortunes she’d amassed—that’s what one got, buying a big bag of the things—and flicked the chosen one at him.

“‘Your enthusiasm will bring life to a dormant project’.” He arched a brow. Reaching across the table, he dug through her pile. This was fun, and admittedly, he liked where it was going.

Jyn but her lip as he handed her the slip of paper. “‘A tempting proposal will soon present itself to you’.”

At that moment, Kay Esso, Cassian’s partner, ducked into the room. He was ridiculously tall, gangly, and frequently oblivious. He lumbered over to the table as the two seated there quickly sat back in their chairs. He picked up the last fortune cookie and opened it.

“‘Now is a lucky time for you to take a chance’,” he read. “That’s silly. There’s no such thing as luck. Cassian, why is she still here?”

Cassian cleared his throat and stood. “You’re right. I should take Jyn back to her hotel.”

Jyn rose and reached for her jacket. “Yeah, it’s pretty late, isn’t it?”

“See you tomorrow, Kay,” Cassian said. “I’m headed home after I drop her off.”

“Fine. Just make sure you get some sleep.”

Cassian met Jyn’s gaze. She smirked. “... Yeah, I’ll be sure to do that. Night, Kay.”


	4. Come Home

_They're singing "Deck The Halls"_   
_But it's not like Christmas at all_   
_I remember when you were here_   
_And all the fun we had last year_

_(Christmas)_   
_Pretty lights on the tree_   
_(Christmas)_   
_I'm watching them shine_   
_(Christmas)_   
_You should be here with me_   
_(Christmas)_   
_Baby, please come home_

“Oh, shit,” Bodhi said, as he realised what was playing. “Let me change that-”

Jyn waved it off. “It’s fine, Bodhi.”

“I just… I mean, since Cassian…”

“I’m sad, not depressed. One stupid song isn’t going to make me run out into traffic.”

Said traffic, outside the office building and down six flights, was a cacophony of horns honking, Salvation Army bell ringers, and one particularly loud lunatic screaming about the world ending on New Year’s.

Jyn ripped off a chunk of tape and used it to secure a flap of wrapping paper. “This is the weirdest holiday,” she muttered. “You’re Muslim, Baze and Chirrut are… They’re Buddhist, right?”

Bodhi nodded.

“My mum was a hippie New Ager, Papa was Lutheran. Leia’s Jewish, Luke’s somehow Wiccan despite being her twin. Kes and Shara are Catholic. So is Cassian. And Kay is an atheist. Not that he and Cassian are _here_.”

She raked her fingers through her hair, pulling it out of the last of the bun she’d started the day with. “Non-Denominational Winter Gathering,” she said. “We need something that rolls off the tongue better than that.”

Jyn finished the present she’d just wrapped, pushing it towards Bodhi, who wordlessly went to put it under the tree decorated entirely with _Star Wars_ characters, including a Death Star tree topper. “Hang a shining Death Star on the highest bough,” she sang, just a little off-key.

Bodhi gave her a cautious look. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Jyn started to nod, then shook her head. “No,” she admitted. “I’m not. It’s been four months, Bo. They won’t tell me anything. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead or what.”

Four months since Cassian left on his latest operation for the CIA, which he’d sworn when he’d left would only be a few weeks and would be his last.

Jyn was still hoping that he’d come home, and that it wouldn’t be his literal last, as in his last _anything_.

The office door opened and Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe came in from the cold and snow, the former grumbling and the latter beaming, with Baze carrying a box full of filled gift bags.

Rogue One, the private investigation and security firm the bunch of them had started six months before, took up the whole sixth floor of a building in Soho, owned by Leia Organa’s adoptive father, Bail. The senator had hired their tiny outfit for security after an assassination attempt, and rewarded them with a really nice lease on the place. They’d expanded since to have nearly ten people on staff. Jyn couldn’t believe it.

And Cassian had missed nearly all of it.

“Hello, little sister,” Baze said, as he set the box on the table with a thump. “It’s snowing. I don’t like it.”

“Same,” she said with a laugh. It wasn’t a hearty laugh, but it was genuine.

Chirrut patted her shoulder as he passed behind her chair. “We encountered Luke and Leia on their way in,” he said. “And I believe Kes and Shara were just arriving.”

“I need to finish wrapping these,” Jyn said. “Just a few more to go.”

Baze looked in the box she was pulling presents from. “These are for Kay and Cassian,” he observed.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “Just in case.”

In just a few minutes, the office was filled with people and food. Jyn watched as the others laughed and shared drinks around, and Bodhi flirted with Luke under the mistletoe in the doorway to the break room. Leia danced with her fiancé, Han, to Michael Bublé, while Kes and Shara told Chirrut all about their recent twenty-week ultrasound. They were, they’d learned, having a boy and were going to name him Poe.

Jyn was surrounded by people, but somehow had never felt more alone in her life.

Behind them, the office door’s discreet bell chimed as it opened.

“I’m sorry,” Jyn said as she turned to the newcomer, “we’re closed for the holiday-”

Kay Esso stood there, in his typical black trench coat, brushing snow from his shoulders. And coming through the door, wrapped in a dark blue parka with fur on the hood, was Cassian.

Jyn nearly dropped her wine glass and had to set it down. She stared as Cassian’s dark gaze searched the room. He carried a rucksack on one shoulder, and his cheeks were reddened by the cold.

When he saw her, he dropped the bag.

“Jyn,” he said, as he started towards her. “I’m done. Officially done. I’m out.”

“You’re home,” she said, feeling dazed. “When did you-”

“We came straight from the airport,” Kay drawled. “We haven’t slept in nearly three days, by the way.”

Cassian ignored him. He caught Jyn in his arms and kissed her. She threw her arms around him, not caring that everyone was watching.

When he pulled away, Cassian murmured, “Marry me.”

“What?”

“Marry me.”

“That’s what I thought you said. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.” She cupped his bristly face in her hands. “Yes. Of course.”

Applause broke out as he kissed her again.

By the tree, Kay asked, “Why are my presents wrapped in My Little Pony paper?”


End file.
